#Review Request

[adhdapp]

YOOO I’m excited! I wanna respect your time and whatnot, but I’m curious about the app called forrest basically you grow trees by focusing for set amounts of time. never tried it but the app store keeps recommending it to me. from a cursory look at the reviews, some people said it helps with phone overuse (hooray??) it is four dollars, not sure that you want to start with that. anyways thanks for your consideration, hope this blog goes super well :DD

This is actually an app I paid for the premium version of years ago, by chance! So I can give it a pretty complete shake. Here's the review.

Forest: Phone usage control

Overall rating: Certified, with stipulations. Here's the tl;dr

App includes a disincentive for failure (tree death), so if you're sensitive to even mildly feeling like you've fucked up, this might not be your bag

Low on novelty, so if you need a variety of goals to pursue quickly, this might not be your bag (other plant unlocks take a lot of time, forest grows one 25 minute increment at a time)

Achievements and events are a big plus, with several relatively easy achievements to keep you going.

No Dark Mode

supports a charity so that's pretty cool

Diamonds shop even after a 1 time purchase: go no further if you are susceptible to impulse purchases, I respect them keeping the lights on with optional bonus content, but it can be easy to chase the Purchase Dopamine and we need to say No Thank You

Red Flags: None, this app has been going steady for a few years and for seemingly pretty good reason. I didn't find any red flags with the charity it supports either. It's not on a subscription model, and nothing in it seems to be ridiculously priced.

Dopamine hits: Okay so the main drive for using this app is growing the big old garden of trees, collecting different trees, and seeing the physical space of that garden grow. With this said I have One Major Concern I'd like to get out of the way.

Are you the kind of person that's going to feel like shit if you let a plant die? Will you accidentally tab out, kill a tree, and be miserable out it? Do not use this app.

It DOES let you clear the dead trees out of your garden (see above) but personally I don't find disincentives like that as compelling as positive reinforcement. The app is encouraging about it (as you can see) but personally I'm wary of things where I can receive what feels like a punishment because I was only productive for five minutes and not the allotted ten I needed in order to keep the tree alive. the stopwatch mode reduces this, somewhat, but again, you need over 10 minutes. Make sure you allow texts or calls in allowed apps in settings so if something comes up you don't have to feel bad about killing a tree.

Features: Forest provides you one or two different tree types you can grow as you focus, and a nice little plot of land. I'll be honest, I don't think the free version gives you very much to work with, but the premium version gives you different kinds of trees you can grow, events, social connections, tracking, custom tagging system so you can track what you're spending your time off your phone doing, and best of all, achievements. Forest also comes with both a count-down and a stopwatch mode so that if you'd like to just study or work as long as you can you don't have to just do it in increments, which is nifty, and a change from some other pomodoro counters/timers. If using the app to just do poms/increments, there's a switch to keep the app on while you work.

Price: This app is a freemium (on android), but honestly, if phone restriction usage apps are useful for you, just buy the thing right out of the gate. It's 3.99 (also the price of the entire app on the apple store) and what you get for that price is like 99% of the functionality of the app imo. 3.99$ for a one-time unlock is ridiculously cheap for what you're getting. However. The other trees do take a hot minute to unlock. So if you need that cheap and easy serotonin and you have an intense need for novelty this might not be the move.

I will add a stipulation here: Make sure that phone restriction apps are actually what you Need if this is what you're using. if you're the kind of person who can respond to messages and still be productive, this may not be your bag. If you're on a computer and you're going to end up scrolling through tumblr on your laptop instead of your phone, this may not be your bag. Phone restriction apps are useful mainly if what you need to do is get off tech and go do something physical, like read a book or do chores. I do Not recommend this if what you're trying to do is write an essay on your laptop. It is just as easy to procrastinate on pc as it is on your phone. However, For What It Is, this app is extremely functional.

This app DOES have a diamond store and in app purchases to make extra cash but frankly I don't actually begrudge them this. With a one-time purchase that cheap and regular events that seem to allow you to unlock other plants, they seem to have a good content balance and hey, whatever they have to do to keep the app running. I just launched it again and it reminded me I have the pro version even through I bought that like eight years ago.

Polish + Customization: I'm grouping these together because I really have the same quibble for both, there isn't a darkmode on the settings screen, which is an annoyingly bright white compared to the rest of the app. News is Also bright white, so is the store, generally a lot of the things off the main page are bright white with no option to change them. I do not love that. But everything is easy to find and adjust, and though the load times can be a little slow (which is annoying) I generally can't complain too much.

Roadmap: News tab indicates that the app is still being updated and having new plants added, despite the developers seemingly have a couple other projects going- they've got a to-do list app I'm going to have to check out and one to prevent you using your phone while sleeping.

So there u go: Proceed with caution and respect for your specific needs, but it's top of the line in its category, imo. You just need to make sure that category is what you're looking for.

[zepskies]

Hey Zep, can I call you that? I’m Arty, another Dean/Supernatural writer on here! I’ve read some of your vics and they’re absolutely amazing! Is it ok if you can review the series I’m doing (sort of a series rewrite) so I can know what to improve?

Hey there, Arty!! Yes, absolutely you can call me Zep. Love connecting with another fellow writer. ❤️

Thank you so much for reading my stuff, hun!! I appreciate it. Though which series would you like me to review? If you drop me a link here I'll put it on my reading list, and hopefully I can get to it soon. 😘

[thewebcomicsreview]

The Secret Report is a webcomic I am doing. Could you please review it? Please note that the art is a little bit roughin the beginning.

Here's the link: https://secretreport.the-comic.org/comics/#comicimage

Keep in mind that despite the strip format, the comic is serialized (not gag a day) and the strip format was chosen purely to save on time (that's also why in the beginning it is partially in grayscale)

So, first thing jumps out immediately 

Which is that I literally can not read your comic because the “Support Me Financially” subscribestar link is on top of it. It looks like your header bar is set to position:fixed so it jumps down when I try to scroll to read the comic itself. I get the desire to make the link prominent but this crosses into obnoxious (It’s also very generic, but I’m not a marketer so I won’t comment on that further), and breaks the reading experience because I have to scroll up slightly every page load. Ignoring the site design and getting int-

Actually I’m not the biggest fan of these nav icons either. You sort of have to be used to Standard Webcomic Site Template to know what they do, or even that they’re buttons at all. That’s more nitpicky, though.

So, I spent like an hour and a half going through the strips one by one and making notes in the way I often do, but after way too long I realized it was useless, because

Strip 2

Strip 31

Strip 102

There’s a remarkably rabid improvement in the presentation, here. Not just the art, but the paneling and world balloons have shot up in quality. Like, the art is still fairly crude and I’m not going to pretend otherwise, but you’re getting way more out of it now that you were originally. For a comic that’s only been going a year and change there’s a pretty significant improvement! 

I wrote 225 words nitpicking this one panel, but really who cares. Your early comics aren’t indicative of your current work, to the point that “This dialogue from strip 7 makes no sense” isn’t actually useful feedback anymore. And that’s legitimately amazing for how short a time you’ve been working on this. 

I do think, though, that you’re still having some issues with the word balloons, and I think you should focus on that because it’s probably the highest ratio of “effort spent” vs “output improved” you can get right now. Panel 2 has fifty-six words in a single balloon. The rule of thumb is 25 words max in a single balloon, and 35 words in a single panel. I’d recommend that you, and anyone writing comics, get in the habit of counting your words, and either draw more panels to fit them all in an aesthetically pleasing way, or try to cut your dialogue down. (”Thank you Admiral. The calls for violence from the human religious leaders make it clear we’re not wanted here anymore” is 20 words and contains most of the key information)

I would also recommend giving a bit more flow to the logical flow of the conversation. Here, Birvoth says the problems of this world are “Inequality, Slavery, Lack of Social Mobility, and Arrogant Leaders” and Soria tells him not to generalize all humans. But....he didn’t. All four of humans problems he lists are social problems about how some groups of humans oppress others, not “humans are greedy”, so Soria’s objection doesn’t make any sense. 

He did generalize them in the previous strip, but then he walked it back to talk about social problems and Soria has this kind of delayed response

Shuffling the panels like this makes the conversation flow smoother, making Soria’s objection better time while having the interesting side effect that now Birvoth appears to be walking it back in response to her. Which you may or may not consider a positive, but that’s the kind of thing I’d encourage you to think about. (Strips 88 and 89 have a similar delayed response thing happening, where the woman says “you can’t help” and then Lemmy stands around for two panels before starting the next strip with “No I’m pretty sure I can help”).

This might be presumptuous, but I get the sense this kind of thing and the word balloon issues that you don’t write out your dialogue before drawing the strip. I think it might be a helpful exercise to try writing a movie-style “script” for your comic, and then putting it down for a bit, then coming back to give it a once-over with fresh eyes and try to edit it down. I think that might help you catch this kind of stuff and find your own solutions to it.

I look forward to seeing what your comic looks like next year. You’re improving at a pretty good pace! 

[poppletonink]

TRACK REVIEW: The Game - Meredith O'Connor

★★★★☆ - 4 stars

"Don't give up on the way, if you get pushed down."

The second track of model and pop singer Meredith O'Connor's 2015 album I Am, highlights her stance as an anti-bullying activist. A letter to her past self, encouraging the younger version of her, as she tells the story of the schoolgirl difficulties she faced because of bullies.

Starting with gentle, acoustic guitar chords, the track is slower than others on the album, almost representative of how over time bullying increasingly impacts upon you. In tone, it's sorrowful throughout the verses as she questions herself and how she felt whilst being bullied. Yet, during the chorus, Meredith's vocals (reminiscent of early Dove Cameron but with an alternative twist) grow stronger and the mood begins to radiate positivity as she sings about dealing with hurtful situations and getting through each day.

It's an encouraging song with a beautiful message for anyone who has experienced or is currently experiencing bullying. It reminds us of the importance of not giving up despite the negative impacts it has on a person's self-esteem.

[muffinrecord]

Hey guys!

The lovely Antimony translated the Magical Girl Story for Fairytale Mifuyu a while ago and it needs a few eyes on it for reviews!

You don’t need to speak Japanese to help. Just looking it over for grammar or spelling mistakes (or anything else of that nature) is super helpful!

are you really a mifuyu fan if you don’t help?  I mean, the people who help review this are SUCH BIG MIFUYU FANS... IT WOULD REALLY SHOW THE FANDOM JUST HOW MUCH MIFUYU IS LOVED, RIGHT?

[starsbooksandtea2023]

Family Curse Blog Tour and Review

Family Curse Blog Tour and Review

Family CurseTenacity Plys Bottlecap PressJanuary 1, 2022 Book Links: Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3XGZqtd Family Curse – Field Notebooks – 1880-2020, by Tenacity Plys They say in town that every generation, fairies lure a member of Virgil’s family into the local woods, never to be seen again. Virgil doesn’t really care about that; they’re just squatting at their aunt’s vacant house during…

[abysscronica]

I apologize if this is arrogant, but do you by any chance review stories? Like do you leave critics and stuff, or read fic if requested? I'd like to show you my story but I'm a little afraid to ask 👉👈

Hey! Thank you for the ask and don't worry, it's not arrogant at all!

I only give my opinion on a story if specifically requested by the author, and privately via DMs. I have been asked before and did it no problem, but there are a couple of things I always say to the author before giving my "review" (I'm hesitant to call it a critique since I don't feel qualified for it):

only shows/comics I'm familiar with

if it's a long fic (especially multi-chapter), please don't expect me to read it thoroughly (unless I get heavily involved, then of course I will). I will still go through it and offer my two cents though. You can also indicate the parts you want me to read more carefully if there is any

unfortunately I am a picky reader, and that's an entirely personal issue that does not apply only to fanfiction. So I usually offer first a quick list of common elements that often put me off a story (on the top of my head: Mary Sue's, overpowered MC, soulmate AU, reverse harem, OOC, OCs). I will still read your fic if you want me to, absolutely no problem, but I just want to make it very clear that, if I don't get hooked because of these elements, IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT. It's just a matter of personal preferences, and I firmly believe that you should not be discouraged and should always be able to write whatever makes you happy

If, despite these preliminary warnings, you still want my opinion, I'll be happy to comply. Please reach out via DM!

[thebookbud]

The Two-Headed Lady at the End of the World

Author Mark Miller

A BookBud Review

Completed 11-10-2022

*Non-Spoiler Review

Disclaimer I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Rating Breakdown

Flow 7/10

Plot 7/10

Creativity 9/10

Review

While I was being introduced to what is one of the most colorful cast of characters I have read in recent memory, I found myself with a slight bit of mental whiplash and loving every second of it. This is a strange story to say the least but it’s strangeness was done in such a fun and immersive way that it’s easy to lose yourself into this fever dream of a plot. The puns, analogies, and little quips littered throughout are what really makes this an enticing read. Miller works wonders with a satirical spin, like the whole world is some big cruel joke, and you find yourself laughing at it too. The elements used to illustrate this keep the feeling light while hitting targets that are thought provoking at the same time. 

I’m absolutely giving this 4 out of 5 stars. It was entertaining, immersive and one of the most creative reads I have had the pleasure of enjoying. It has everything you can want to be considered entertaining and reads like your watching a movie. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read something full of quirks and really is a page turner.

[snaxle]

btw if a trans man decides that they want to get pregnant and you're not normal about this and start spewing a bunch of transphobic shit i show up at your house and beat you to death with a baseball bat

[lordmayokcorner]

Meredith O'Connor 『I Am』 - Album Review

This is a review by request! Feel free to request anything for me to review. Generally I only review K-pop but I’m making an exception for this, Meredith Connor’s first album “I Am”. Truth be told, I know very little about her besides that her music is focused around anti-bullying and self-confidence motifs. I’m excited to learn more! Keep in mind that my rating system is 1 to 10, with a 5 indicating complete neutrality.

I Am - 7

A wide blend of trumpet, bass, drums, and piano open the album and the song abruptly but strongly nonetheless. I really love the tone on the bass, I strive to achieve that. Her voice is quite strong as well, matching the instrumentals well. The chord progression is certainly quite basic though, which makes it hard for the song to pop out to me. I do really like the way the drums build in each 4-bar section of the chorus though!

The Game - 6

A much softer opening, just guitar and soft synth pads. I love the delay on her vocals here, it’s very satisfying. The lyrics don’t fit the rhythm very well and don’t quite rhyme, and I think the vocal melodies drag it down a bit. I wish the instrumentals were a bit louder, I think that would balance the mix a little better. I have a lot of respect for the purity of her vocals though, definitely. I’m loving the minimalistic late 90s early 2000s  vibe of the synths, they remind me of first generation K-pop! 

Just The Thing - 3.5

I like the pizzicatos at the beginning. The other elements don’t really blend in with it very well though. I think that as the song builds it becomes less coherent which is unfortunate because I like some part of it individually. It has the same basic chord progression again as well, and when it tries to switch it up it doesn’t quite work for me. I think there’s probably a lot to like in this song, but it doesn’t really fit with me.

Distraction - 5

This is the first song on the album with a very dark start. The beginning has me very excited for something that goes hard. I like the subtle use of the 3-3-2 latin beat. The vocals aren’t quite as great here though. The chorus is pretty disappointing after the intro set it up for so much power. I’m still loving the rich dark vibe though.

Unforgettable Night - 3

This is a much softer song, a classic soft ballad at least for now. Her vocals aren’t great here, and neither are the unnamed featured singer’s. It builds in energy but the background doesn’t take it there. Once again I think some better mixing and processing would really help this song out.

14 Miles - 4

Another heavy opening that lacks the power in bass to really carry it through. This could be great, I just wish that the mix was better and that the EQing was a bit more full spectrum. Many of these songs feel very heavy on the 1-4kHz frequency range (white noise, wind noise) and lacking in low bass (20-70Hz) and high silvery treble (5-10kHz). With that and a hard rock beat this song would go so hard! I find it odd that this is the least streamed song on the album.

Stronger (feat. Garrett Clayton) - 3

This one has another soft quality to it, a true ballad feel. It has many of the same issues as the other songs, but the EQing does feel a bit better. Meredith also sounds much better here. The vocals are somewhat overpowering in a way that flattens the beat. It builds into a power ballad, even changing the key. Not my style but it’s alright.

Guardian Angel - 5.5

I really like the piano melody at the beginning! The vocal melodies are also much better. The piano has a much sturdier bass and is better mixed into the vocals, the instrumentals compliment the vocals in a way that improves the songs coherency as a whole. This song is definitely not the type of song I would listen to but many of the previous issues I’ve pointed out are a lot less noticeable here! 

Face That’s Perfect - 7

This is a refreshingly strong finish! The mixing is once again much better and the equalizing feels better. The drums and vocals could be processed a little better though. Everything clicks into place pretty well. I love the vocal melody in the chorus, it makes me smile! I love the use of the flat 7th and the 6th and the harmonies. The rest of the song is meh for me, but those harmonies are great.

Final Thoughts

It’s really a shame that Meredith O’Connor isn’t much more popular. That may seem like an odd thing to hear me say after delivering this somewhat scorching review (sorry!!), but that’s just the thing! I think that she has a great voice and has a good grasp of musicality. If she was given a higher budget I would really like her music. Almost every issue I had would be easily fixed with better production, writing, mixing, and mastering. Either getting a better company or alternatively joining a rock band would actually be really good for her, musically! I give this album an overall score of 5 taking everything into account, with my favorite song being Face That’s Perfect, one that I think would sound GREAT with a live band! Thank you for recommending this album to me, I hope I wasn’t too harsh! Meredith O’Connor deserves a lot of attention for sure. One day I have a feeling I’m gonna hear about her getting a better gig and being a huge deal. Thanks for reading!

- Maya

[ejlmitts]

Children's Book Review Request

Hi Everyone , Xina143,

Excuse the Direct approach but I noticed your Review of Children’s Prejudice & Race books on AMAZON.

I wanted to let you know that I have similar work that I’d love your feedback on. It’s Titled: – HONEY, MAPLE, GOLD & BROWN by Emmitta Jane Lewis and it’s a very quick read. It would only take a few minutes of your time.

Let me know if you’d like to check it out at NO COST to you. It would be greatly appreciated. With your permission may I send you a digital copy?

Thanks much –

Emmitta J. Lewis

ejlmitts@gmail.com

[adhdapp]

Hello! I already use this app and love it, but recommending it in case it could help someone else! It's called Daylio, it's for journaling and mood tracking. It's free to download and use, but there is a premium option, but I've only used the free version and never felt it was lacking. It has a daily streak incentive, mine is 1841, I've been using it since 2019, as well as some other accomplishments for various things. I find it easy to use and you can customize activities to be anything, like it comes with pre-set ones like "relax" and "friends", but you can add and change and delete them, so I also have ones like "Baking" and "excited...?". It's a nice way to look back at memories and a quick and easy place to record them. I write a lot in the notes section of the entry, but you don't have to, you can leave it blank, or add images or voice recordings (but I've never used those so I don't know how they work). And if I miss a day and break my streak, it's very easy to go and put one in for that day so my streak remains because I like it when the number goes up. As someone with memory issues, I find it a comforting habit to make a record of something everyday and these are my thoughts!! Have a great day :) !

Daylio: Mood Logging

This is actually another app I already have the premium version for, lol. I bought it before it became monthly (Really unfortunate that it became monthly)

Rating: Certified, If what you're looking for is a mood tracker and/or diary app

does feature a to-do list daily tasks options, but it's very much a secondary feature

cute, very customizable (especially with premium), easy to use

Celebrates milestones and gives you a lovely visual overview of things.

HOWEVER: While the achievements and the streak counter and the visuals are cute (especially because you can retroactively add things to keep your streak) this app works best if you're inclined to micromanagement and willing to update it at least once a day, and personally that's not something I can keep up too long

Red flags: none, no data shared with third parties, data safety all seems good, and the app itself comes with a pin-lock if you want to be extra cautious with your entries.

Dopamine hits: So the visuals of the emoji calendar are cute and fun and a nice layout, particularly if you've got the premium and have the extra emojis, and the ridiculously high streak counter and achievements are also nice, but personally this app doesn't give me enough from day to day to keep me going. You have to really enjoy the logging process or making the streak number go up to make this work. If you're the kind of person with a really long snapchat streak, this one's for you? otherwise, eh, it can be a bit touchy.

Features + Price

Major Events: Basically pretty milestones for you to record as big letters in your diary

Mood tracking: obviously the main focus, your moods are color coded so you can view sort of how you're doing mental health wise on a pie chart, which can be really handy if you struggle with a mood disorder or want to see how certain activities are correlating with other things in your mental health. Do you always feel like ass when you talk to your boyfriend? this app might be able to help you clock that trend

Visual calendar overview: pictured above

goals: the goals checkoff is actually a must faster process than logging your moods, which is a few screens of selecting one of your preset moods and then the activity you're doing and then maybe adjusting the time. It can be a little finicky.

so this is Freemium.

Premium: 4.99 a month or 35.99 a year (USD)

So i'll admit, I downloaded this app back before they Had important days and goals so I suppose there must be a limit on them for free users? I bought it so that I could add custom moods and track my migraines.

This app is fundamentally not really For to-do stuff. You can use it that way! But where I think i'd find this app has the most usefulness is if you're struggling with short-term mental health trends and you need something to keep track of how you're feeling and where your moods are coming from. As far as ADHD goes this is sometimes useful if you're struggling with RSD, or with sensory issues, or just not clocking which parts of your life are making you overstressed. That said, I could definitely see this working for someone who wants to keep a diary in a short simple easy way. However if you're just looking for text entries, this is also not necessarily the easiest way to do it, since it's focus is mood logging. which it is very good for! it does that job effectively! it's the other stuff it's a little eh about.

Roadmap: This app was updated at the start of this month to add easier searches, and has added a lot in the years since I opened it last, so I definitely believe they're committed to following through and keeping posted. I'm not so sure about the pricetag for premium, but if you're looking for a mood logger and the format works for you, by all means, keep on keepin on.

[quirkycatsfatstacks]

Review: The Devil's Whispers by Lucas Hault

Review: The Devil’s Whispers by Lucas Hault

Author: Lucas HaultPublisher: TCK PublishingReleased: February 20, 2022Received: Review Request I simply cannot get enough of fantasy horror, so naturally, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to read and review Lucas Hault’s The Devil’s Whispers. If you’re a fan of retellings and dark atmospheric reads, the odds are good that you’ll enjoy this one. Gerard Woodward is used to being summoned and…

[stealingyourbones]

Never will I stop with the steadfast notion that folks in the DPXDC fandom should interact with at least some form of canon DC media.

There are comics, tv shows, radio dramas both old and new, podcasts, movies, magazines, so much shit that intentionally avoiding the media is simply preventing yourself from spawning new ideas and gaining a new appreciation for a fandom that you’re already in.

The Superman Radio Show has episodes 11 minutes long. A lot of the TV shows don’t have episodes that surpass 30 minutes and most are nearly fully clipped on the official DC YouTube channel. The amount of fan made motion comics is astounding. The amount of fanmade animations is equally as incredible.

[good-pokemon-center-reviews]

[starsbooksandtea2023]

Death in High Places Blog Tour and Review

Death in High Places Tour Date:March 22-26 Blog link: https://travelling-pages.com/blog-tour-death-in-high-places/ Book Details:  Sara L. JamesonFebruary 8, 2023Scrivenings Press LLC 324 pages Book Links: Amazon GoodreadsBookshop.org Barnes & Noble Book Summary:  An Interpol agent with a deadline he can’t miss. Urgent intel warns of terrorist cells planning coordinated attacks…